Knightley POV
By my side, this very moment, is my new wife. She has her head tilted towards me and an expression of contentment upon her sweet face. I cannot help but be charmed by the flowering graces of Mrs. Emma Knightley, not dissuaded at all by her faults and flaws. We are two minds alike, Emma and I, although she does not always agree it. Oh! But she has eaten her words- never married indeed! I find amusement now in this peculiar statement, made by opposing deed so untrue and so naïve! But my Emma is ever one of good grace, at least out loud. When we were wed, she shared quiet chuckles with her friends. In private, however, she was in a strange humour when she remembered the need to inform her father of our courtship, especially as she knew he would remind her of her previous sentiments. And remind her he did, but, genteel as ever, Emma had displayed good graces in public and only afterwards did allow herself to show her resignation to this reception. She had worried over that moment for days, and now that it was over and her father had given his predictable verdict, Emma was now committed to our union in more than emotion. She was inexcusably tied to my name as my wife-to-be, and some part of her, I knew would mourn the loss of her once-independent life. But the rest of her, I could see, was joyful at our union. Now, she has brushed those doubts away as we sit in our carriage on the way home to Hartfield from our wedding party - she is now my Mrs. Knightley! - But I do hope she does not revert to her old selfish ways! And foremost, I hope she feels as anticipatory as I at the prospects of the night and days to come for us as man and wife.
Emma POV
This very moment, I am sitting beside my new husband! Dear Mr. Knightley has taken me as his own- I am now Mrs. Knightley! While I am utterly pleased and filled with joy at this turn of events, I cannot help thinking about my previous vows to remain unmarried. Could I have been happy without George? I am certain, in one part of my mind, if I had put my mind to it, that I would have found no loss of occupation, had he never proposed our union, but another part of me now shies from the very thought of being unmarried-even so soon after the event- and I almost regret the wasted effort that I spent preventing my own engagement. Oh! It does not do for me to lend my mind to these thoughts! I must not allow myself to have my head filled with thoughts that are so close to regrets on my wedding day. I still recall the amazement and worry of my father when I announced our union to him. I was so filled with dread at the approach of that moment- George was not present to support me at first- but somehow, the moment of dread was overcome as I assured my father we would not leave him alone, but come and live in Hartfield still. Of course, I could not show any of my hesitation or trepidation to the eyes of family or friends, and I kept my appearance steady and calm as I resigned myself to a similarly difficult reception, if not for the same reasons, for each member of the Highbury circle. They did make fun of my previous sentiments, but ultimately they were gracious in accepting my change of heart, and for this I was grateful. Now, though, alone with my George for the first time after our wedding, I could not help be overwhelmed again with the now familiar fear of the unknown, but today it was for an utterly different reason. Today is my first day as Mrs. George Knightley, and I hope he will enjoy our coming days and nights together as I feel I shall. I turn to him now, and when he catches my eye and smiles my favourite smile, I know that my fears will ultimately prove unfounded.
